What You Really Need in Your Wallet on Your Next Date

You’ve planned out the perfect date: A walk in the park then dinner at a hidden gem. She laughs at your jokes, the food is great, and you share a bottle of wine. You both are clicking and you don't have any first date jitters... Until the bill comes and you realize you didn’t bring enough cash. Current studies show that the average cost of a date can be from $80 to $180 dollars, with first dates tending to be on the higher side. Not only do credit cards offer convenience, cards come with money-saving benefits and other perks you won’t see with cash or a debit card.

The Credit Card Advantage

Credit cards eliminate those frequent trips to the ATM and worrying if you’ve brought enough cash to cover dinner. Some credit cards offer cash back or points for every dollar you spend. And just by using credit cards responsibly, you can help build your credit history. You also get consumer protection and membership benefits that paying with cash or debit don't offer.

To learn more about the savings, rewards, and benefits credit cards can offer, take a look at the cards below.

Featuring a sleek metal card with and no raised numbers, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is one of the few cards where the physical design of the card matters. And while it is a Visa card (so no worries about it not being accepted), missing is any large brand logo detracting from the design. It looks like a serious credit card built to impress.

Under the hood, the card’s features don’t disappoint. You can earn 50,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. This can be worth $625 in travel if you redeem it through Chase Ultimate Rewards® or worth $500 if you want to redeem it as cash back. When it comes to a night out, you earn 2x points for every dollar you spend on dining and travel. Even if you spend the low end of $80 a date, after 20 dates you could earn $40.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® offers great travel benefits, like no foreign transaction fee, and consumer benefits like purchase protection against damage or theft 120 days from purchase, extended warranty coverage, and price protection against a price drop 90 days after purchase. There is a $95 annual feewith this card that is waived for the first year.

If you’re looking to earn rewards for your whole night on the town, the Citi ThankYou® Preferred Card from Citi, a Credit Cards Explained advertiser, is a card to consider. You can plan the perfect dinner and movie knowing that the card earns 2x ThankYou Points for every dollar spent on dining at restaurants and on entertainment. You earn 1 ThankYou point on all other purchases. Spending $80 on just 20 dates could earn you 1,600 ThankYou points, which you can redeem for merchandise, travel rewards, and gift cards. There is no annual fee for this card.

If you are at a loss as to what to plan, the Citi ThankYou® Preferred Card comes with Citi’s Concierge, a personal concierge service available 24/7, who can help with you pick the right restaurant, show, or trip for your date. You also have access to Citi® Private Pass®, an online portal which allows you to purchase pre-sale and VIP tickets to concerts and sporting events, as well as movie screenings and dining. The card also offers Citi Price Rewind, which will automatically search for price drops within 60 days of your purchases, damage and theft protection, extended warranty, and $0 liability on unauthorized charges.

No Hassle Cash Back

If you would rather concentrate on your date than on remembering your bonus categories or to opt into rotating categories, there are a number of credit cards you can consider.

The Citi® Double Cash Card from Citi, a Credit Cards Explained advertiser, is a unique card in that you earn 1% cash back on every purchase you make, and 1% cash back when you pay for those purchases. No categories to keep track of, no earning caps, and no annual fee. If you don’t carry a balance where you pay interest, you can see big cash back earnings. $80 on 20 dates could earn you a respectable $32.

As this is a Mastercard, you can feel confident that it will be accepted almost anywhere around the world. The card also has Citi perks like Citi Concierge and Price Rewind, as well as damage and theft purchase protection and extended warranty.

The Chase Freedom Unlimited® Credit Card earns an easy to remember 1.5% cash bask on every purchase. There are no categories, no limit to the how much you can earn, and no annual fee. The card offers a $150 cash bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening. Not including the savings you see from the signup bonus, just spending $80 on 20 dates could still earn you $24.

The Chase Freedom Unlimited® card also offers extended warranty protection as well as purchase protection. You also recieve a generous 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months (then a 16.24%-24.99% variable APR after that).

Bottom Line

When it comes to dating, credit cards provide convenience and the opportunity to earn rewards and cash back. You also have the peace of mind knowing that you'll be able to cover any spur of the moment purchases along the way. It is important to understand your finances and find a card that matches your financial situation and goals.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Steven Abrams is a Content Manager at Credit Cards Explained, working exclusively in the credit card space. He has over 20 years of experience as a writer and editor, covering topics from tech industry trends to film industry finance. Learn more about Steven Abrams

EDITORIAL NOTE

Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer.

Credit Cards Explained may earn affiliate commissions from our partners on this page. These commissions do not affect how we select, rate, or review products. To find out more, read our complete terms of use.

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Cards In This Article

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Citi ThankYou® Preferred Card

Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer

Chase Freedom Unlimited®

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EDITORIAL NOTE

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Credit Cards Explained may earn affiliate commissions from our partners on this page. These commissions do not affect how we select, rate, or review products. To find out more, read our complete terms of use.